Royal Ballet and Opera to Cut 64 Roles to 'Remain Financially Sustainable'
The Covent Garden institution will reduce its workforce by around 5 percent, with nine compulsory redundancies among the cuts.
The Royal Ballet and Opera is cutting 64 roles, including nine compulsory redundancies, as the Covent Garden institution looks to shore up its finances during what it describes as a challenging period, The Stage reports.
The reductions will lower the organization's headcount, currently 1,169 staff, by roughly 5 percent. An RBO spokesperson told The Stage the company must become more efficient now in order to stay financially sustainable over the long term.
The RBO has been in consultation with the entertainment union BECTU over the proposals. That consultation has wrapped up across all areas except visitor experience, which covers front-of-house and box-office teams.
Beyond the nine compulsory redundancies, the remaining cuts are expected to come from unfilled vacancies, voluntary departures and natural turnover.
Proposed changes to front of house reportedly include bringing in more volunteers to support ushers on key tasks, and shifting from a weekly to a monthly scheduling and salary model. Those plans are said to involve a net reduction of more than 4,000 front-of-house shifts. Front-of-house staff are not expected to face compulsory redundancy, though a recruitment freeze may be introduced as part of the cost savings.
The move comes a year after the RBO's chief commercial officer cautioned that the organization's work could grind to a halt without greater investment in its Covent Garden home.
The RBO joins a growing list of major British theatre organizations that have announced redundancies over the past year, among them the Royal Shakespeare Company, London's Young Vic and ATG Entertainment.
In a statement, the RBO spokesperson said the consultation had concluded except where talks with visitor experience staff remain ongoing, adding that the company is focusing its resources where they will have the greatest impact, including artistic work, audience growth and investment in its sites. While the organization is currently in a good position, the spokesperson said, it is operating in a challenging environment and must act now to remain sustainable.
BECTU national secretary Jenny Tingle said the union had worked hard to limit the impact on its members throughout the process. She noted that the wider industry faces a difficult funding picture, and said BECTU is doing everything it can to keep job losses and compulsory redundancies to a minimum.
